Photo Gallery What Comes After Merkel?
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron examine the guest book inside the train car where the armistice was signed in 1918, ending World War I. Long-time adversaries France and Germany came together to found the European Union after World War II and usher in an era of unprecedented peace. Now, Macron wants to reform and future-proof the bloc, but he can't do it without Merkel, who seems inexplicably apathetic at the moment.
In what has become an iconic photo marking an abrupt shift in U.S. -- and indeed, global -- leadership, Merkel faces down an uncooperative Donald Trump. Now that she has no reason to worry about being re-elected, many wonder why Merkel isn't doing more to counter the shift toward nationalism and right-wing populism around the world.
Russian President Vladimir Putin offers Merkel a blanket during a show in St. Petersburg, Russia. The two leaders have a cordial yet adversarial relationship. As Merkel has worked to promote democracy around the world, especially in Europe's immediate periphery, Putin has done his best to undermine it in places like Ukraine.
Former U.S. President Barack Obama dines with Merkel at the Hotel Adlon in Berlin eight days after Trump was elected. The two spoke for three hours, which was more time than Obama had ever spent talking to any other leader during his entire time in office.
No other chancellor in the history of modern Germany has faced such a dark future at the end of their tenure as Angela Merkel. For all her efforts to bolster liberal democracy and promote Western values, she is in danger of being remembered for allowing a right-wing populist party to win seats in the German parliament.
